All is Calm, All is Bright
by Victoria-Eliza
Summary: "Hey guys? I love you, you know? Like, really love you all." She beams. "When the endearments start, the liquor stops." Chuck tells her, "You know the rules, sis."/ N-JBC. Pure lighthearted Christmas fluff. B/C. N/S. Ensemble.


**Author: **Victoria-Eliza

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gossip Girl or any of the characters shown in this piece of fiction

**Rating:** Eh... a mild 'T', I reckon

**Lyrics Used: **'I Got You' by Leona Lewis.

**Part:** 1/? (probably about three parts in total, but I really don't know yet)

**A/N: **I am stupidly posting this in the (very) early hours of Christmas morning, knowing full well that I will have absolutely no time over the course of the next few days to write the subsequent chapters and without even a plan to work off regarding those same chapters... but alas, like last year, I cannot resist! ;) Hope you enjoy, and please review and tell me what you think!

* * *

**A place to crash,**  
**I got you**  
**No need to ask,**  
**I got you**  
**Just get on the phone,**  
**I got you**  
**Come and pick you up**  
**If I have to**

It's times like these, all of them together—four friends, finally united the way they should be; the way she hopes they always will be—that she feels the most at home.

There's something in the way they laugh together, sharing experiences of their past, that reminds her that she's never truly been alone. Reminds her that even though they fight—tooth and nail at times, all of them—it will always come back to this.

The Non-Judging Breakfast Club.

And though it was Blair who coined the term, way back when they were still just (semi) innocent kids, it feels so natural to her now. So familiar. Like the favorite blanket she had as a child, lost in translation many, many years ago, or the scent of flowers in full bloom at her Grandmother's home in the Hamptons.

So much has changed over the years for her—boyfriends, homes, step-fathers, siblings, schools and jobs... It's nice to know that in one aspect of her life, everything has stayed the same.

The same, she notes with a smile as Chuck kisses Blair's forehead and Nate teases him for it, and yet different.

"Hey, guys?" She can't help but interrupt, smiling warmly. They all pause, banter and bicker halted as they turn to look at her, "I love you, you know? Like, really _love _you all."

And though her words come out more than a little slurred, the feelings are genuine. She beams, expects them all to return the sentiment, pouts when Chuck and Blair merely roll their eyes.

"When the endearments start, the liquor stops." Chuck tells her, eying the half-empty bottle of vodka at her feet with wry amusement. "You know the rules, Sis."

She shakes her head, strands of blonde hair flying everywhere. "Those rules only apply when we're at the Empire, _Chuck_!" His name rolls off her tongue like an accusation, as if to say _why are you not already aware of this? _"We're at _B's_, and she'd never make up a silly rule like that, right B?" She looks to her BFF for back-up.

Blair just shakes her head, waves a hand and snuggles closer to her boyfriend, the late hour combined with several margarita's making her sleepy. Taking her non-answer to be a statement of agreement, Serena nods emphatically at Chuck. "See!"

Chuck opens his mouth to reply, but Nate cuts across him diplomatically. "Why don't we all go to bed, hey? What is it, like, three AM?"

"Four, actually." Serena giggles, squinting to read the digital numbers on her cell-phone.

Shakily, she gets to her feet and watches as everyone else does the same, though with considerable more grace. She bends down to pick up the bottle, intending on taking another swig for luck, but Nate snatches it out of her grasp, twisting the lid back on it firmly and telling her that he thinks that she's had enough for one night.

She pouts, he furrows his brows, she puts her hands on her hips and he folds his across his chest. Silently, they stare each other down for a few seconds, until finally she cracks and starts to giggle uncontrollably. He's quick to join her, and Blair's even faster to shush them.

"There are people sleeping upstairs!" She hisses, eyes darting to the dark landing above. "Have some _consideration_!"

"She says at the top of her voice," Chuck says dryly, by far the most sober of the group. He takes his girlfriend's hand, steadying her at the same time, and leads the way towards the staircase.

"Wait!" Nate calls after him, eyes wide. "Where are we even sleeping? Like, can we stay with the girls, or what?" His question is aimed at Chuck, but it's Blair who answers.

"Chuck and I have my room, you and Serena take the guest room opposite. Dorota got it ready earlier." Blair huffs, as if the answer should be obvious.

"But..." Nate splutters, "Your _parents_ are here. _All _of them." He stresses, because that last part is important.

"Yes, Archibald, I had realized." She rolls her eyes, exaggerating the gesture purposely. "Daddy and I have been communicating on a _don't ask, don't tell_ basis for the past two years—"

Chuck interjects, smirking, "He doesn't ask if I'm corrupting his little angel, and she doesn't tell him otherwise."

"—and Eleanor knows better than to comment." Blair elbows her boyfriend, effectively silencing him, before continuing calmly. "So as long as you don't make it overly-obvious when sneaking out of Serena's room tomorrow morning—"

"—everybody else will turn a blind eye." Chuck cuts in impatiently, once again making for the stairs. "Now, goodnight, people." He calls back over his shoulder pointedly, ignoring Blair's half-hearted complaints about how he always interrupts her.

"He called us _people_!" Serena gasps, taking a gulp of vodka, not even wincing as it goes down. "I'm his _sister_, you're his _best friend, _we're not just _people._" She hiccups, finger pointed accusingly at Chuck's retreating figure.

Nate nods his agreement, before frowning. "Hey, where'd you get that?"

She shrugs, bats her eyelashes innocently as she skips after Chuck and Blair. "S'not my fault you weren't paying attention, Natie!"

–

"You kids are up early," Harold comments the next morning, raising an eyebrow as a bleary-eyed Nate and a disgruntled Chuck take their places at the table just as Dorota is serving breakfast.

"Blame Serena," Chuck mutters, sending a dark glare his pseudo-sister's way as she skips her way into the dining room.

"Morning all," she chirps, far too alert for the time of morning that's in it. She receives varying degrees of response—enthusiastic from both Roman and Cyrus, amused from Harold, weary from Nate, and silence from Chuck.

"Explain to me again exactly _why_ we are up at this ungodly hour?" Chuck snaps, scowling as Serena perches on the side of his chair and reaches across to steal the orange juice Dorota had only just poured for him.

Serena sends him a grin, "Cause I know how long it takes you to do your hair," she teases, tousling his hair from where it lay in a perfectly styled quiff. Laughing at the expression on his face, she dances out of the way, nearly crashing into Dorota who came bearing coffee for everyone. "Oops, sorry." She giggles, allowing the exasperated housekeeper steer her towards a seat.

"Lack of sleep apparently makes Serena hyper," Harold notes with a smile, passing Roman the sugar. "And where is our other ray of sunshine? Still in bed?"

Entering the room in time to catch the end of her father's sentence, Blair snorts, "I wish."

"Blair, finally!" Serena claps her hands in excitement, "Okay, so for today I was thinking..."

She trails off as Blair raises a hand for silence, and the table watches as Blair accepts the cup of coffee Dorota offers her, takes a seat beside her boyfriend, gulps a mouthful of coffee, and finally waves a hand, motioning her best-friend to continue. "Proceed."

"That we would go and pick out a tree." Serena finishes, blinking a little, before regaining her previous enthusiasm. "Then we can help Dorota to decorate it, and put up decorations and things. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Blair and Chuck exchange glances, neither looking particularly convinced, while Nate just blinks sleepily at her.

Serena's face falls a little, "A little enthusiasm would be nice! C'mon, B, you love this kind of thing!"

Blair raises a brow, asks dryly. "I do? Funny, you think I'd have known."

"Lack of sleep apparently makes Blair grumpy," Roman stage-whispers to Harold and Cyrus, and the two chuckle.

"Fine, if you guys really aren't interested, I guess we can do tomorrow's plan today..." She rummages around in her bag, pulls out a thick sheaf of paper and a pen. "But then I'll have to rearrange Friday..."

Blair looks exasperated, "She's flunking out of college, yet _this _she takes notes for."

"I am not flunking out of college!" Serena huffs, and it's a well-worn argument between the two. "A 'C' is a perfectly acceptable grade. I like C's—they're nice!"

"_C_ for _Se_rena." Nate chuckles, "Get it?"

"Oh please, it's not like you're getting 'A's for Archibald'." Serena snaps back.

"Do you even go to class?" Chuck inquires of his best friend, and it's a genuine question.

–

Harold shakes his head at the bickering foursome, turns to the other two men at the table and laughs. "It's like watching a T.V. Show!"

"Wish could change channel," Dorota mutters, wisely returning to the kitchen as the men's attention was caught again by the friends' antics.

"Exactly how long is that list, Serena?" Chuck asks, eying it with some trepidation.

Serena pretends not to hear him, bites her lip as Roman gently pries it out of her hands and skims through it. "It's not like we have to do everything on it—Chuck will veto half of the list anyway, and Blair too—but I had a few ideas, and I figured I should write them down..."

Harold shoots her a warm smile, passes the list to Chuck. "Well, you certainly thought of everything."

She giggles, ducks her head a little shyly. "Yeah, I guess I kind of hijacked your Christmas. I'm sorry... It's just so easy to get carried away planning when you don't have to worry about family feuds and fighting and bloodshed."

"Why? Who's fighting now?" Chuck asks, completely unconcerned, he and Blair taking it in turns to cross entire sections off of the list.

Serena frowns, "The usual. Mom and Rufus... Dan and Vanessa... Jenny and everyone else in the world... Plus, I think Grandma's traveling down from Rhode Island, so you know there'll be trouble there."

"Cece's coming?" Chuck grimaces, handing her back the list. "Great."

Serena glances down, "Chuck! There's barely anything left!"

"You said I could veto." He replies innocently, finishing his coffee.

"I said that you _would _not that you _could."_

"Semantics."

–

"B, how are you not freezing right now?" Serena asks, frowning at the brunette who is clutching tightly to Chuck to ensure her safe passage through the icy footpaths of Central Park. "You're only wearing a dress—not even a knee length one!"

"I have a coat on, S!" Blair snaps back in retort. "And tights. Not to mention gloves, a hat and a scarf."

"Not to mention ridiculous, four-inch-heels." Chuck adds, looking disapprovingly at his girlfriend's choice of footwear. "You're going to break your neck in those things, Blair."

She aims a glare at him, "I've managed this far, haven't I?"

"Only because you haven't let go of Chuck since we left!" Serena points out, "You should wear what I'm wearing—jeans and boots!"

Chuck snorts, "_Nobody_ should wear the clothes you wear, sis."

"Hey!" Nate protests, smiling at his girlfriend. "I like Serena's clothes."

"Of course you do—ninety percent of what she wears is short, tight and low-cut." Blair rolls her eyes.

Serena's eyes widen, "That describes ninety percent of your wardrobe, too!"

"Yes, but unlike you, I never showcase all of my assets all at once!" Blair counters, hissing quietly so as not to be overheard by her father several feet ahead, arm in arm with his partner.

Chuck clears his throat.

Flushing slightly, Blair huffs, "Fine, maybe I do. But at least I don't do it in public! And as for you, Basshole, I've never exactly heard you complaining."

"And you never will." He promises, holding her tighter as they pass a particularly icy path. "Except for the heels," he says through clenched teeth, as she comes close to stumbling. "I'm buying you a pair of flats for Christmas whether you like it or not."

–

"You two need to go to Tiffany's." Blair announces, pulling both Chuck and Nate aside. "Now."

Nate frowns, "What? Why?"

Casting a furtive glance around her, Blair quickly deduces that it will be another few moments before Serena tires of Roman and Harold's French tutelage and notices that the three have fallen behind. "I found the perfect present for Serena there a few days ago when we were shopping."

"But I already have Serena's present." Nate reminds her, "I picked it out weeks ago. I even showed it to you, remember?"

"Yes, and it is actually passable as a decent gift—a surprise, given your usual taste—but believe me, Nate, she literally stopped dead when she saw this. _Tears_ sprang to her eyes—not that it takes much, of course. It _is_ Serena we're talking about... It's one of a kind, and she would have bought it then and there, but luckily her cell rang and she stepped outside to take the call. I just had time to reserve it before she got back."

"If it's so great why don't _you_ get it for her then?"

"Because, Archibald, Chuck and I already have the perfect gift for her. Besides, it will mean so much more coming from you. Just trust me, okay? How often am I wrong?"

"Don't answer that," Chuck interjects, raising an amused brow at his girlfriend. "Trick question. You'll only end up getting yourself into trouble."

Rolling her eyes, Blair looks at Nate expectantly. "Well? Are you going to listen to me or not?" He nods his head, and she smiles. "Perfect. It's reserved under Blair Waldorf. You two shouldn't have any trouble finding it."

"Why do I have to go?" Chuck wonders, none-too-pleased by the prospect. "Surely Nathaniel doesn't still need me to hold his hand."

"It will look less suspicious this way," she replies, pecking him on the cheek before rushing to rejoin her father, calling back over her shoulder; "We'll meet you at Serendipity in an hour!"

–

"What are you laughing at?" Nate asks, looking bemusedly at his best-friend as they near the infamous jewelery store some minutes later.

Chuck shakes his head, still chuckling. "Blair still micro-manages every aspect of your life, even after all this time."

Nate laughs, clapping his friend on the back. "Newsflash, man—Blair Waldorf micro-manages every aspect of _all _of our lives. I hate to admit it, but we'd kind of be lost without her, wouldn't we?"

"I don't plan on finding out anytime soon." Chuck murmurs in reply, letting Nate enter the store ahead of him as he stops to look at the window display.

–

"Tell me again where the boys went?" Serena says with a slight frown, not having gotten a straight answer in the twenty minutes since the two have been missing.

Biting her lip in frustration, Blair quickly aims a beaming smile in her best-friend's immediate direction, careful not to meet her eyes, and swiftly lies. "I told you already, S. Nate wanted something from the Empire, and Chuck decided to go with him. They won't be long."

Her father gives her a discerning glance, to which Blair replies with a pointed look. "Oh look, Bergdorf's is open! Who wants to go shopping?" Grasping Roman's arm so as not to slip on the icy pavement in her too-high heels, she quickly leads the way.

–

"Remind me to thank Blair when we get back," Nate says, watching as the shop assistant wraps the gift, eagerly taking it from her when she was finished and handing her his credit card. "Serena is totally gonna love this."

"I think that's the point, Nathaniel." Chuck replies, examining a few pieces with interest. His gaze falls upon an ornate, beautifully intricate butterfly hair clasp and a slow smile unfurls across his sharp features.

"Ah, yes." The shop assistant nods, sliding open the display cabinet carefully. "Miss Waldorf also paid particular attention to that piece. White-gold; very classy."

Chuck presents his credit card to her silently, ignoring Nate's lighthearted jibes.

"Dude, no wonder Blair wanted you to come with me. You can't even pass by this place without buying her something!"

–

"Blair Waldorf leave a store without purchasing anything?" Serena gasps in mock-horror, hand clutched to her heart. "Tell me it isn't so!"

Blair rolls her eyes, "Very funny, S. You and I were only just here a few days ago, and I came with Chuck not even a week ago—I've seen everything here worth seeing, and bought plenty more besides." She shifts her handbag further up her shoulder, readies herself to leave. "I told Chuck and Nate we'd meet them for lunch at Serendipity 3; we're already late."

"I think Nate and Chuck have long since stopped expecting us to be on time, B." Serena giggles, holding up a pretty printed dress for Blair to see. "Like it?"

Blair inspects it carefully, "A little too bold for my tastes, but for you... it's perfect. Get it."

"Hm," Serena tilts her head to the side, deciding. "I think I'd better try it on. I guess I'll catch you guys up?" Without waiting for a reply, she ducks into the dressing room.

Chuckling fondly, Roman assures Blair, "I will stay with Serena, ma chérie. You and Harold go on ahead."

"Yes, I'll make sure that you don't fall in those shoes," Harold agrees, wrapping his arm around her and leading her from the store, "So, what are the boys really up to?"

Blair smiles, leans against his chest as they walk together and starts to tell him about the item she and Serena spotted while out shopping. "It's perfect, Daddy. She's really going to love it."

"I bet she will. And what are you getting for Christmas, my darling? Or do you know?"

She pouts, "Chuck won't even hint, and he knows better than to tell Nate or Serena, so there's no chance of them cracking either. Eric's my best bet; I'm going to try and corner him the next time I see him."

"I see that patience is as absent a trait in you as ever," Harold laughs, looking up as a few flakes of snow begin to fall from the sky, peppering his black trench coat with specks of white. "Yet more snow—we're in for a white Christmas, I'm sure of it."

"You think it'll stay?" She asks doubtfully, "Last night's snowfall didn't."

"We can only wait and see."

–

"I know what I'm getting you for Christmas," Nate jokes, as Blair and Harold enter the busy restaurant more than half-an-hour late. "A watch."

"Sorry," she shrugs out of her jacket, allowing the waiter take it for her, and slips into the empty seat beside Chuck. "Lost track of time."

"It's snowing outside," Harold informs them, sitting across from Blair.

"I can see that," Chuck says with a smile, brushing flakes of snow from his girlfriend's hair as Nate waves over the waiter, ordering two more hot chocolates. "I also see that you've lost two members of your party."

Harold smiles, "Serena spotted a dress at Bergdorf's; she and Roman shouldn't be too long."

"Speaking of dear Serena, anything you'd like to say to me, Archibald?" Blair inquires, brow arching expectantly.

Nate sighs, shakes his head in wry amusement."You're the best, Blair."

"And?"

"We'd all be lost without you controlling our lives down to the very last detail." Laughing, he ducks as Blair reaches across Chuck to hit him. "Oh, c'mon, B! It's totally the truth. Chuck, man, back me up here!"

Chuck just looks at his best-friend in exasperation, "You couldn't have just told her we'd be lost without her and left it at that, could you?"

–

"So, I believe Serena said something about a tree?" Harold says, as the waitress begins to clear away the remnants of the party's dessert. "That shouldn't be too hard, though two days before Christmas does seem a little tardy."

"Dorota usually arranges everything, but Serena insisted on sourcing it herself this year—God knows why." Blair informs him, rolling her eyes at her best-friend who merely sticks her tongue out childishly in reply.

Helping Blair with her coat and slipping his own on, Chuck wonders aloud, "Where does one find a Christmas tree?"

"A _forest_, Chuck. Duh!" Serena giggles, to which Chuck replies with no small hint of sarcasm.

"Of course, how very silly of me. I'll just instruct Arthur to drive to the nearest forest in downtown Manhattan, shall I?"

–

Several hours later sees a very large Christmas tree standing proudly in the middle of the Waldorf penthouse, lavishly decorated with baubles and ornaments and, much to the ever-conventional Eleanor's dismay, yards upon yards of coloured _tinsel. _Expertly wrapped presents are placed below its branches, and the tiny bulbs which lit the tree shine brightly. The delicate, porcelain angel that always topped the tree is presented to Blair, who has to stand on a chair in order to reach the very top—which she does with great dignity, despite nearly plummeting to an early death due entirely to her choice of footwear—and when finally the tree is deemed perfect by all involved, they stand back to admire their handiwork.

There's a moment of appreciative silence, before chaos once again runs amok in the Upper East Side home.

"—I mean it, Blair. Take those effing shoes off _now_, before you break your neck—"

"—Serena, dear, I wish you would put down the glitter, I really think we have enough—"

"—you're over-reacting, Chuck. So I stumbled a little... it's not like I actually _fell—_"

"—nonsense, Eleanor. You can never have enough glitter!—"

"—only because I caught you in time! Excuse me for wanting to put an end the seemingly never-ending cycle of our spending Christmas in the A&E—"

"—yes, well, perhaps _you_ can never have enough glitter, Roman, but for those of us with more refined taste—"

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**Merry Christmas!**


End file.
